Competition and Coexistence

Competition and Coexistence PDF Author: Ulrich Sommer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642561667
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
The question "Why are there so many species?" has puzzled ecologist for a long time. Initially, an academic question, it has gained practical interest by the recent awareness of global biodiversity loss. Species diversity in local ecosystems has always been discussed in relation to the problem of competi tive exclusion and the apparent contradiction between the competitive exclu sion principle and the overwhelming richness of species found in nature. Competition as a mechanism structuring ecological communities has never been uncontroversial. Not only its importance but even its existence have been debated. On the one extreme, some ecologists have taken competi tion for granted and have used it as an explanation by default if the distribu tion of a species was more restricted than could be explained by physiology and dispersal history. For decades, competition has been a core mechanism behind popular concepts like ecological niche, succession, limiting similarity, and character displacement, among others. For some, competition has almost become synonymous with the Darwinian "struggle for existence", although simple plausibility should tell us that organisms have to struggle against much more than competitors, e.g. predators, parasites, pathogens, and envi ronmental harshness.

Competition and Coexistence

Competition and Coexistence PDF Author: Ulrich Sommer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642561667
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Get Book Here

Book Description
The question "Why are there so many species?" has puzzled ecologist for a long time. Initially, an academic question, it has gained practical interest by the recent awareness of global biodiversity loss. Species diversity in local ecosystems has always been discussed in relation to the problem of competi tive exclusion and the apparent contradiction between the competitive exclu sion principle and the overwhelming richness of species found in nature. Competition as a mechanism structuring ecological communities has never been uncontroversial. Not only its importance but even its existence have been debated. On the one extreme, some ecologists have taken competi tion for granted and have used it as an explanation by default if the distribu tion of a species was more restricted than could be explained by physiology and dispersal history. For decades, competition has been a core mechanism behind popular concepts like ecological niche, succession, limiting similarity, and character displacement, among others. For some, competition has almost become synonymous with the Darwinian "struggle for existence", although simple plausibility should tell us that organisms have to struggle against much more than competitors, e.g. predators, parasites, pathogens, and envi ronmental harshness.

Competition and Coexistence

Competition and Coexistence PDF Author: Ulrich Sommer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9783540433118
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
The global loss of biodiversity has led to a renewed interest in the underlying mechanisms that explain spatial differences and temporal change of diversity. This book synthesises recent advances in our understanding of interactions that enhance or diminish coexistence among competing species. It features an innovative, spatial view of competition and coexistence. The chapters are logically grouped and stitched together by the central organising principle of spatial distribution and mobility of competing species and their resources. The text also covers ecological modelling and experimental evidence in the search for general principles across ecosystems, from lake plankton and rocky shore benthos to grasslands and insects. -- Back cover.

Essays in Evolution and Genetics in Honor of Theodosius Dobzhansky

Essays in Evolution and Genetics in Honor of Theodosius Dobzhansky PDF Author: Max K. Hecht
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461595851
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 601

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Book Description
It is not often that one has the opportunity to send a public birthday greet ing to a friend and colleague of many years, and to congratulate him on having reached the age of reason. In fact it happens only once, and comes then as a surprise. Surely it was only a few years ago that we sat together at an International Genetics Congress in Ithaca, and only yesterday that we became members of the same department. The eighth floor of Schermerhorn Hall had a north end where the flies were and a south end furnished with mice, and in between, a seminar room and laboratory. There the distances were short and the doors open and the coffee pot busy. But it now appears that yesterday has fallen thirty years behind and that we have grown up. I find it interesting and appropriate that Dobzhansky's lifetime spans the period of maturation of the fields to which this volume is devoted. This is true in a chronological sense for his birth occurred in the same year, 1900, in which modern genetics began. The rediscovery of Mendel's princi ples and the interpretation of the nature of heredity and variation to which this event led were necessary prerequisites to the development of evolution ary biology as presented in this collection of essays.

The Princeton Guide to Ecology

The Princeton Guide to Ecology PDF Author: Simon A. Levin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691156042
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 826

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Book Description
The Princeton Guide to Ecology is a concise, authoritative one-volume reference to the field's major subjects and key concepts. Edited by eminent ecologist Simon Levin, with contributions from an international team of leading ecologists, the book contains more than ninety clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics within seven major areas: autecology, population ecology, communities and ecosystems, landscapes and the biosphere, conservation biology, ecosystem services, and biosphere management. Complete with more than 200 illustrations (including sixteen pages in color), a glossary of key terms, a chronology of milestones in the field, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, research ecologists, scientists in related fields, policymakers, and anyone else with a serious interest in ecology. Explains key topics in one concise and authoritative volume Features more than ninety articles written by an international team of leading ecologists Contains more than 200 illustrations, including sixteen pages in color Includes glossary, chronology, suggestions for further reading, and index Covers autecology, population ecology, communities and ecosystems, landscapes and the biosphere, conservation biology, ecosystem services, and biosphere management

Reproductive Allocation in Plants

Reproductive Allocation in Plants PDF Author: Edward Reekie
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 008045433X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
Much effort has been devoted to developing theories to explain the wide variation we observe in reproductive allocation among environments. Reproductive Allocation in Plants describes why plants differ in the proportion of their resources that they allocate to reproduction and looks into the various theories. This book examines the ecological and evolutionary explanations for variation in plant reproductive allocation from the perspective of the underlying physiological mechanisms controlling reproduction and growth. An international team of leading experts have prepared chapters summarizing the current state of the field and offering their views on the factors determining reproductive allocation in plants. This will be a valuable resource for senior undergraduate students, graduate students and researchers in ecology, plant ecophysiology, and population biology. - 8 outstanding chapters dedicated to the evolution and ecology of variation in plant reproductive allocation - Written by an international team of leading experts in the field - Provides enough background information to make it accessible to senior undergraduate students - Includes over 60 figures and 29 tables

Interspecific Competition in Birds

Interspecific Competition in Birds PDF Author: André A. Dhondt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199589011
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 295

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Book Description
Provides a current, critical review of the importance of interspecific competition, considering the evolutionary effects of interspecific competition, its importance in structuring communities, and influence on the traits of individual species.

Applying Graph Theory in Ecological Research

Applying Graph Theory in Ecological Research PDF Author: Mark R.T. Dale
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110708931X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
This book clearly describes the many applications of graph theory to ecological questions, providing instruction and encouragement to researchers.

Species Coexistence

Species Coexistence PDF Author: M. Tokeshi
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444313355
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 464

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Book Description
As a novel endeavour in ecological science, this book focuses on amajor issue in organismal life on Earth:species coexistence. Thebook crosses the usual disciplinary boundaries betweenpalaeobiology, ecology and evolutionary biology and provides atimely overview of the patterns and processes of species diversityand coexistence on a range of spatio-temporal scales. In thisunique synthesis, the author offers a critical and penetratingexamination of the concepts and models of coexistence and communitystructure, thus making a valuable contribution to the field ofcommunity ecology. There is an emphasis on clarity andaccessibility without sacrificing scientific rigour, making thisbook suitable for both advanced students and individual researchersin ecology, palaeobiology and environmental and evolutionarybiology. Comprehensive and contemporary synthesis. Pulls together the aggregate influence of evolution and ecologyon patterns in communities. Balanced mix of theory and empirical work. Clearly structured chapters with short introduction andsummary.

Competition and Coexistence of Species

Competition and Coexistence of Species PDF Author: A. J. Pontin
Publisher: Pitman Advanced Publishing Program
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description


Parasite Diversity and Diversification

Parasite Diversity and Diversification PDF Author: Serge Morand
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107037654
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 503

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Book Description
By joining phylogenetics and evolutionary ecology, this book explores the patterns of parasite diversity while revealing diversification processes.